Brat is a term for the BDSM role of a submissive or bottom who maintains a defiant, misbehaving demeanor toward their dominant through words and actions. A brat will talk back, act out and be obstinate to achieve the goal of being disciplined by their top. They will ultimately achieve gratification by eventually acquiescing to their dominant’s desires.
Brats are motivated by a number of different dynamics, including the desire for attention, building trust with their dominant and the desire for punishment. As such, a brat’s dominant is sometimes referred to as a brat-tamer.
What does being a brat look like in a BDSM scene?
For a brat, disobedience can take the form of saucy or snarky reactions, shouting orders, trying to top from the bottom or being physically evasive. In many other respects, the brat role plays a submissive role in the traditional sense and the attitude displayed is typically light-hearted and cheeky, not mean or cruel. That, however, can depend on the dynamics of the relationship between the dominant and submissive.
“A brat is a type of submissive that likes to push back on their dominant’s rules and regulations," says Mistress Mona, a Dominatrix based in Philadelphia. "I know a lot of brats. I played with a brat who was very much like ‘oh you’re gonna make me do that?’ Very sassy, very much enjoying the power struggle of being submissive, but pushing back on the rule and getting attention for pushing back.”
Some of the most common techniques brats use to egg their brat-tamers on is to question their ability to actually tame. Brats challenge their dominants to act on threats in ways that will actually bring pleasure to the submissive, even if they profess that it won’t. Phrases such as “Is that the best you’ve got?” or “You’re going to have to gag/bind/blindfold me to get your way!” and “You don’t scare me!” are meant to propel the tamer into increased action. A successful brat/tamer dynamic will see both folks deriving pleasure from their roles and the interactions that continue.
Any person, regardless of gender or sexuality can be a brat and any relationship configuration can feature brat roleplay, although the identity is most frequently associated with women in relationships with male dominants. The brat role complements dominants who are sadists and owners.
